Ten years ago my little upstart agency Rayfield Artists had the fortunate opportunity to merge with the similarly small but hugely eminent Allied Artists, and Rayfield Allied was born. Andrew Rosner and Robert Slotover had spent four decades creating in Allied Artists something very special and uniquely admirable. That they saw, by merging our agencies, enough of a future in classical music management to want to safeguard what they had built, and secure continuity for their artists and their ethos, was both inspiring and profoundly flattering.
Ten years later the agency is a little bigger, but that same ethos remains central – we are still driven by the desire to provide a deeply personal service to a wide range of the most distinctive and creative artists; we believe that making a difference to artists can best be achieved through intelligent and knowledgeable collaboration; and at the heart of everything is a desire to build long term relationships, turning partnerships into friendships. We continue to evolve to reflect the changing face of the music world, and our naturally inquisitive nature means we are always looking for new ways to develop and enhance what we can offer (as you can read here in Classical Music’s recent article about the agency).
So, as we enter our second decade I’d like to thank Andrew and Robert for their trust and for their continued support and advice. I’d like to thank our wonderful artists, each one of them a constant source of inspiration making every day an exciting voyage. I’d like to thank our promoter colleagues for their creativity and strength, often in the face of extraordinary challenges. And I’d like to thank the incredible team at Rayfield Allied whose commitment, curiosity, vision and energy gives me huge confidence and fills me with great excitement about the next ten years.
Happy 10th birthday, Rayfield Allied!
Ben Rayfield, Managing Director